[Rhodes22-list] April fools prank(what Ed hinted at)

[R22RumRunner at aol.com]

Being the fun loving person that I am, I received the following letter from  
a good friend on APRIL 1st. I thought it was funny, so I sent it to anyone 
that  I thought would have an interest in the lake. They apparently didn't see 
the  humor in this letter and sent it to all their lake friends. Apparently this 
 letter crossed the lake many times in a few hours. The short version of this 
is  that I have been asked by the USACE (Army Corps of Engineers) to not send 
this  letter out next year. Their office was apparently swamped with phone 
calls and  e-mails from irate lake property owners.
 
Rummy
 
 
 
 
Here we go again. Something to complain about to our Congressmen and  
Senators. 
Last night in a closed meeting, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Anderson  
County Management, and the United States Inland Lakes Management Authority,  
including representatives from several southern states, announced that they have  
finalized plans to make Lake Hartwell one of the nation’s premier recreation  
destinations for Families. 
This is being done due to the large numbers of vacationers who are  canceling 
plans to visit their usual Children and Family entertainment sites in  the 
state of Florida. These actions have been prompted by the increasing costs  of 
gas and the corporate failures of numerous hotel, motel, and entertainment  
facilities. 
These cultural shifts are affecting Anderson County and the entire lake  
areas in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.  Although the 
I-85 corridor is developing  nicely, tax incentives to attract new business are 
resulting in a sharply  decreasing tax base for our residents along with 
expected drastic personal  property taxes beginning in 2008. With all the growing 
needs, such as  infrastructure re-building, including highways , bridges, water, 
sewage, and  environmental health issues, there is no way to take in 
additional monies from  property owners other than to take advantage of the resources 
throughout Lake  Hartwell. 
This means that the Government will turn over all the Lake Hartwell  Corps, 
property to the respective counties who will apply the properties to the  
adjacent, current property and home owners’ tax base and apply additional taxes  to 
each. This means that what is now the Corps. Property will be taxed to the  
property owners. The real problem here, in addition to the extra taxes, is that 
 the respective home owners will not have title to the property and the 
current  rules of Corps. Property usage will remain in place. 
The plan is to apply the new development program beginning immediately  and 
gradually reduce the residents’ share of the cost as commercial developments  
are completed. The initial areas of recreation, corporate convention sites and  
family destination sites will be along the I-85 route and will begin with the 
 county take-over of several existing boat launching areas and campgrounds.  
Specifically named as initial beginning development sites were Camp Creek  
access,  Ponderosa Campground,  Friendship Campgrounds, Twin Lakes, Walden Road 
accesses, Anderson Island,  Portman Marina, and lakeside properties now owned 
by Clemson  University. 
Hotel management of Hilton Corporation, Marriott, Inc. and Double Tree  Inns 
of America have already signed agreements of immediate development in these  
particular areas. Restaurant corporations are being invited to participate in  
the Plans along with diversified groups of racial and religious  associations. 
Presented by the United States Council of Inland waterway  management this 
first day of April,  2008.            



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